Worldwide, over 1200 children die each day from HIV infection and its complications. Large increases in case numbers are being reported in several geographic regions, including Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and East Asia and the Pacific. In a unique collaboration, Baylor College of Medicine, in cooperation with several Romanian medical and scientific institutions, has established a program for pediatric HIV health-care professional education and clinical research. The purposes of the proposed International Research Core are to broaden the scope and expand and enhance the activities of the existing prograrn by establishing laboratory infrastructure in Romania to facilitate collaborative HIV clinical and basic research projects. The specific aims of the International Research Core are as follows: (1) to serve as a liaison between scientists at Baylor College of Medicine and Romanian clinicians and scientists in the development, implementation, and execution of HW collaborative research; (2) to provide laboratory mfrastructure support Ior specimen procurement, processing, storage, and shipping; and (3) to complement Romanian health professional and scientific educational activities conducted under the existing Rornanian-American Pediatric AIDS Education and Clinical Research Program and the planned AIDS International Training and Research Prograi:n. A facility will be established at the Stefan S. Nicolau Institute of Virology in Bucharest for the processing and storage of specimens important for CFAR research activities. Institute staff will assist in the identification of Romanian collaborators and will facilitate communication between1J.S. and Romanian investigators. The Institute will serve as the focal point for collaborative Romanian-U.S. HW research and health-care professional educational activities.